Rappler's latest stories on freedom of speech
[OPINION] How social media users can protect themselves from the anti-terror law
'What should the people do? Should they delete their old posts or make their accounts private?' That may not be enough.

Brazil's Senate approves controversial bill against disinformation
One of the bill's most controversial articles will require social media platforms to make supposedly confidential messages available to the judiciary for 3 months, including the identity of senders

No to anti-terror bill? DILG employees ‘advised’ against posting on social media
‘We are encouraging everyone in the DILG to be responsible in posting their views and comments against the bill in their social media accounts’

Shuttered Zoom accounts raise China free speech fears
Zoom is the latest in a long line of western social media and tech companies which have found themselves struggling to deal with the demands of authoritarian governments in lucrative overseas markets

[OPINION] The politics of dissent
'Some would say this fear of the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020 is hypothetical as it is imaginary. There is nothing hypothetical or imaginary though with the story we have seen the last 4 years.'

[ANALYSIS] The Anti-Terrorism Act: Duterte will have all dissenters’ necks
Compared to the country's Human Security Act, the Anti-Terrorism Act drops the bar even lower

[OPINION] Martial rule without martial law: An anti-terror bill subtext
'What should be noted is the breadth and intensity of opposition [to the anti-terror bill]. This is a much broader range of opposition than on any other issue under the Duterte administration.'

[EXPLAINER] Can government employees post criticism of the anti-terror bill?
Even those working in the private sector cannot be terminated, disciplined, or punished for posting something on Facebook or Twitter or showing up at rallies

[EXPLAINER] Proposed Anti-Terror Act of 2020 a devil’s playground in the hands of a despot
The bill suffers from obvious legal infirmities, essentially begging for a constitutional challenge

[OPINION] What is the need for this anti-terror bill?
'The timing, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, is telling'

[OPINION] As the world collapses, the 4th estate is under threat
'We need to know what the slums look like, what a broken education system looks like, what hunger looks like – because they all have a face'


Algeria cracks down on Facebook activists
One activist is accused of having insulted President Abdelmadjid Tebboune by calling him 'illegitimate,' while another has criticized the 'injustice' of Algeria's judicial system

[ANALYSIS] The right to call the government crazy
Voicing your exasperation over the government and its officials – even in impolite language – is constitutionally protected

With indictment of teacher, media told be careful when interviewing suspects
Ex-SC Spokesperson Ted Te says the NBI agents are still liable for the arbitrary detention of teacher Ronnel Mas
DOJ okays warrantless arrest of teacher who posted about 'killing Duterte'
(UPDATED) The prosecutor says the warrantless arrest is invalid, but the defect is cured by the teacher's admission to the media
[OPINION] What do we risk when free speech is suppressed?
'The Philippines and the rest of the world would not be in this mess if we had immediate access to Dr Li's crucial information'

[OPINION] PCOO blocks Gang Badoy on Twitter – that’s unconstitutional
Just like in the United States, the Philippine government’s act of blocking citizens from its social media accounts violate fundamental rights

Hong Kong political crisis deepens despite protest lull during virus
Police arrest 15 prominent activists on charges linked to last year's demonstrations. Those detained were not masked protesters who often violently clashed with police, but rather some of the city's best-known moderates.

Carpio: Facebook post on P2B private jet is protected speech
When is something protected speech, and when is it not?
China expels U.S. journalists in biggest crackdown in years
American journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal are told to hand back their credentials within 10 days

[OPINION] Pens and placards: On campus journalists as student activists
'To be an activist does not require one to be physically present in rallies and street protests. It can be done through the formidable power of the written word.'

EU rights envoy sounds alarm on Qatar freedom of speech
Publications can be suspended under the law for up to 3 months for printing items deemed against the public interest

Merkel's successor sparks freedom of speech uproar
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer later tries to downplay her comments, saying it is 'ridiculous to insinuate that I want to regulate expressions of opinion'

Does Assange indictment set dangerous precedent for journalists?
'What he is accused of doing is exactly what professional journalists do every day – seeking, receiving and publishing important information about our government,' says law professor Sonja West

[EDITORIAL] #AnimatED: A revolution against disinformation
The challenge now is no longer to gather huge crowds at plazas to frighten a dictator and his sycophants. It is to reclaim the online public space from the disinformation monster that President Duterte himself has unleashed.

How Facebook is reconfiguring freedom of speech in situations of mass atrocity
Lessons from Myanmar and the Philippines

Bangladesh photographer detained during protests gets bail
Bangladesh court grants bail to award-winning photographer-activist Shahidul Alam after spending more than 100 days behind bars

Duterte says 'overboard' Mocha Uson still has right to free speech
'There are things na tingin ko na medyo nasobrahan,' says President Rodrigo Duterte about controversial assistant secretary Mocha Uson

Could coal lobbying and free speech curbs hamper pivotal UN climate talks?
Civil society groups are worried that the Paris Agreement could crumble at the last minute, as the final meeting to decide its implementation will be held in Poland, Europe's second biggest coal-producing country

Netizens fear troll exploitation of Facebook's 'downvote' button
Some users think this feature would be abused by trolls and bots, while some say users' freedom of speech would be unaffected

If there's no fake news, we wouldn't know what's true – Roque
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque says there should be 'a free marketplace of ideas'

CHR expresses 'grave alarm' over proposal to limit protection of free speech
'A free, democratic society depends on the free exchange of ideas and speaking truth to power and fighting for one’s convictions are both anchored on our ability to exercise this freedom,' the Commission on Human Rights says

Intel operations, background checks on media 'bordering on illegal' – PNP chief
'I categorically deny that there is an effort by the PNP to monitor, to conduct background checks on the media...It is not only irregular, but it is bordering on (being) illegal,' says PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa

[EDITORIAL] #AnimatED: Eh ano ngayon kung ma-padlock ang Rappler?
Ang pamahalaang gumagamit ng corporate take-downs upang busalan ang mga tumutuligsa dito ay hindi mag-aatubiling sagasaan ang karapatan ng pangkaraniwang mamamayan

Roque: I'll resign if Duterte tramples on press freedom
'Bakit po ako nagpapatuloy bilang isang Spokesman? Dahil naniniwala ako at naninindigan din po ako na ang Pangulong Duterte ay sang-ayon din at sumusuporta sa malayang pamamahayag,' says Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque

WATCH: Real news for real people
We bring you authentic news. Because you're real.

Freedom of speech ‘limits the power of government to lie’
Veteran reporter Ed Lingao says about fake news online, ‘Everybody has the right to be wrong, but everybody has the responsibility to get it right’

Democracy under threat: We will shine the light, we will hold the line
'Like many, I fear that the pendulum of democracy is swinging the other way globally, enabled by social media,' says Maria Ressa when she accepted the National Democracy Institute's W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award on November 2 (US time)

[OPINION] Peke at totoo
Sa mga panahong ito, kahit peke ang balita, basta ito’y nakasisira sa kaaway o nakatutulong sa kinakampihan, kinabibiliban pa natin ang sinungaling

[EDITORIAL] #AnimatED: Time to stand up to Duterte’s online bullies
What fuels the hate and the toxicity? It’s the sense of entitlement and power, of being backed and supported by those in power.

Pakistani journalist held over Facebook posts criticizing security forces
The Balochistan Union of Journalists criticizes the illegal confinement

Berkeley Fil-Ams defend free speech
Fil Ams from the University of California at Berkeley agree that the Free Speech Movement is alive and well

Azerbaijan looks to block critical online media
The ministry of transport and communications demands the news outlets websites be blocked but gives no further details to back up its claims

Anti-Mocha Uson petition sparks debate on freedom of speech
Some social media users say banning the celebrity blogger s Facebook page – whether you are a fan of her or not – is the wrong approach

Constructive conversations in the time of Duterte
Ultimately President Duterte has a huge role in addressing the deepening polarization and in creating an environment where everyone feels welcome to express dissenting opinions

#NoPlaceForHate: Baro a pagalagadan iti Rappler comments thread
Alaenmi manen daytoy a gundaway a mangtagikua iti espasyo ti Rappler kas nasimbeng a lugar para kadagiti netizens Ditoy maibaga yo amin ti ania man a naguneg yo nga awan ti panagbuteng wenno panagamak a mabastos kayo

#NoPlaceForHate: Ang mga kausaban sa Rappler comments thread
Diri sa Rappler dapat bation mo nga luwas ka mupadayag sa imong kaugalingon nga wala y kahadlok nga atakihon ug tabangan sa mga anonymous commenters nga nag apas nga pahilumon ka ug paamohun

#NoPlaceForHate: Bagong patakaran sa Rappler comments thread
Muli naming aangkinin ang espasyo ng Rappler bilang matiwasay na lugar para sa netizens Dito masasabi ninyo ang inyong saloobin nang walang takot na malapastangan o makuyog

#NoPlaceForHate: Change comes to Rappler's comments thread
On Rappler you should feel safe to express yourself without fear of being attacked and swarmed by an army of anonymous commenters who seek to silence and tame
